Artelligence for October 27, 2017

Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo Sells Most Expensive Watch in First NY Auction: Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona was sold for $17.7m at Phillips yesterday as Aurel Bacs held the largest watch auction in history totaling $28.8m. …

Drug Bust Recovers Stolen Stanley Spencer Painting: Two men whose car was searched in England were discovered to have cash and a kilo of cocaine in the car. Their subsequent arrest let to a search of one of the men’s apartments where a £1m stolen Stanley Spencer painting was found. The work had been missing for five years. …

“It is a fabulous work done in Paris and it is pretty remarkable that she held on to it […] which would indicate that it is one of her favourites.”

“So, she is no slouch. She is not just a muse. She has been overlooked, definitely, and she’s been typecast as Picasso’s partner — but hopefully this acquisition will show that she is so much more than Picasso’s partner.” …

“I think the film ultimately is not ultimately about the art world,” he says. “I think it’s a film that recognizes that the art world is kind of an ideal setting for what it’s trying to explore, in terms of, you know, the specific conflicts, the specific themes of ego, and privilege and liberal guilt.”